Don't Forget My Heart
by Rassmussin
Summary: Our two favorite detectives face a link that threatens to steal one of their memories. What happens when one of them is faced with slowly forgetting the other?
1. Chapter 1

Nick's eyebrows were lower than usual as he walked through the hallway from the bedroom to the kitchen. He paused for a second at the bathroom door, flipping on the light for only a second. Not seeing what he was in search of, he complained under his breath and continued on. He roamed into the living room, checking the tops of the living room furnature, than bent to his knees casting a glance under the furnature. He rose up, stopping to think for a minute. He gave one last look around the room than, steaming, sat down on the couch.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked him, looking up from her book.

Nick pressed his lips together and nodded in the knowledge and certainty of what he was going to say next. "That nausiating little twerp stole it." 

Kate went back to her last chapter. Barely interested, and used to all of it, she causually asked, "Stole what?" She didn't have to ask the "who," part. 

"My watch!"

"Check the kitchen table." 

"It's not there. He stole it." Nick fumed. "That little rodent finally got it." Nick looked at Kate. "It's your fault, ya know."

Kate sighed as she set her book across her lap. "And just why is it my fault?"

"Your the one that's always inviting him over. I told you when he came over the first time we should call the Orcan man, you said "Carl what do you want to drink.", so it's your fault my watch has gone missing."

"Nick, I have two more pages to go, and my book is finished. Go away!" 

"The words go away don't seem to work. I know, because I've tried them on Carl, he just keeps coming back." Kate did her best at tuning him out as he moved from the couch to the kitchen, only to come back with a bag of potato chips. He leaned against the arm of the couch, watching Kate as she read. Meanwhile, the his crunching was getting under her skin. "Want some?" Nick offered her the open side of the bag. Kate threw her head back, making a face like she was going to throw up. 

"They smell awful!" She laid her hand across her stomach like she didn't feel well. "God, I almost threw up."

Nick chuckled, "You haven't been eating much lately, everything seems to make you sick. Won't even eat a good hot dog with me anymore. Some flu you caught yourself. Funny how I haven't caught it. Sure you don't want some?" He grinned as she shook her head, curling her lips. Nick's grin was short lived though. He set the chips in his lap, staring at her. Swallowing what was in his mouth suddenly became hard to do. 

Six minutes later, Kate tossed the book down and rubbed her eyes. "I know, and I've been so tired, can't seem to get enough sleep." She yawned and met his eyes with hers. "What?" The look on Nick's face made her question him. 

"Something you want to tell me?" Nick turned into the detective he was. He watched her face for signs of someone being dishonest or nervous. 

"What. What do I have to tell you?" Kate was confused and Nick's mind was swimming with thoughts of diapers, bottles, pastel blues and pinks, sleepless nights, and a very fat Kate, he didn't even hear her. "Nick?"

"Are you pregnant?" Nick blurted out, his face going pale.

Kate's eyes got huge. She opened her mouth to say something, which every second no words came out was killing Nick. This was not a time for suspense. Instead of answering him, she laughed, getting up from the couch to take a bath, dismissing him by not giving him a yes or no answer. 

Fifteen minutes later, Nick was still sitting on the couch, dumbfounded. When the ability to think returned to him, he jumped from the couch and burst into the bathroom where Kate was half asleep under a sea of bubbles and candlelight. Nick eyed her suspiciously. "Want a glass of wine? You always have a glass of wine when you take a bath." He waited like a cat eyeing a mouse for her to answer.

"No thanks."

"Why not?"

Kate's eyes remained closed.

"I just don't feel like one tonight."

"There has to be a reason." Everytime he spoke, he would lean closer in by her with anticipation of getting to the truth, any small detail she may be hiding. By now, he was practically right on top of her, sharing her bath. 

"No reason."

"There's always reasons, Kate."

Kate lifted her head up slightly. She squished up her face like he was babbling on like maniac. "Always reasons for what?"

"For why you don't want a glass of wine." Nick's eyes flared with obsession at getting her to admit what he already knew.

Nick." Kate said, once again closing her eyes. "If you don't stop this right now I'm going to drag you into this tub with me, clothes and all."

"In your condition? I think not."

"In my condition?" 

"You need to call Page, let him know. And I don't want you working while your...you know...like this." He stumbled over the words. "And shouldn't you be seeing the doctor?"

Kate tossed a wet washcloth over her face, tired from listening to him. "I'm going to bed, Nick." She said, standing up, wrapping herself in a robe. Nick watched her walk from the bathroom, watching for any sign of something, anything. 

"Are you?" Nick had himself propped up on his elbow, the same position he had been in the last two hours, watching her sleep. Kate jolted out of her sleep.

"Am I what?" She moved from her side, facing away from him, to her back so she could see him. 

"You can tell me, ya know. I mean I'm not going to like freak out or anything."

"Nick." Kate sounded sleepy. "Tell you what?"

"That your..."

Kate cut him off by slapping her hand over her mouth like she was going to be sick. "Saltines! I need some saltine crackers, Nick, hurry!"

Nick's eyes grew bigger than his face as he scrambled out of bed, running for the kitchen. He stopped when he heard Kate giggling in bed. Turning on the light, he looked back at her, his heart pounding. She covered her face up to her eyes and continued laughing at him. "You should have seen your face!" She threw herself back into her pillows and braced herself for revenge. Nick said nothing when he climbed in bed next to her. He jerked the blankets back over him, laying on his side, making sure he faced away from her. Although trying to stiffel her amusement back, and desperatly failing, Kate wrapped her arms around her fiancee and playfully bit his shoulder. When she got no response, she stuck her finger in his ear, trying to annoy him into talking to her. He gently pushed her hand away. "I'm tired, Kate." He said flatly.

"Fine." Kate said, rolling over to her own side of the bed. "I didn't want to have sex tonight anyhow." 

Hearing this, Nick flipped over and now it was his turn to pester Kate. 

"No, no. Your tired. I don't want to keep you from your sleep." Kate pretended to be sensitive to his sleep requirements, when really, she was loving every second of torturing him.

"It's ok, I'm finding myself suddenly refreshed and awake now." He said, pulling Kate on top of him.

"I see that." Kate whispered, leaning down to kiss him. When their lips touched, she felt his move in a way that didn't feel like his normal kiss. She pulled away from him and opened her eyes, expecting.

"Are you? Just tell me and I'll drop it. Are you?"

"Arg!" Kate screamed, climbing off him, back to her own side, pulling the covers over her head.

Nick sat in silence for a minute or two, pondering how to reask the same question without saying the "p" word. "Kate?" No answer. He tried pulling the sheets back from her face, but she held on tight. "Kate?" Convinced she could hear him, and was choosing to pretend she couldn't, he continued. "You can't shake this flu, you don't eat, just tell me if you are..." Nick struggled, "if your...you know...pregnant." The last word he said fast, glad to get it out."

Kate threw the blankets from her face. "I don't know!" She yelled back at him. 


	2. Chapter 2

In the episode "The Invisible," Nick's character made mention of a brother. (His fear as to what was hiding under the bed when he was little.) I think it was the only time any brother was mentioned. But I am using it and going with it. If in the show, I misunderstood, and Nick never had a brother, well, he does in this story. 

Even though there was no arguing with her on the subject, and no positive answers could be given just yet, Nick still didn't like Kate being at work. Not that he didn't like having his partner at his side, but he'd rather feel confident in knowing she was at home resting. 

In the year since they had declared themselves a couple, Carl had taken great pride and joy in tormenting Nick. On this particular day, as the gnome made his way towards the detectives desk, he sang a song to himself, one that could be heard throughout the underground station. "Nicky and Katie, sitting in a tree," his smile got wider as he saw O'Malley turn to look up at the Captain's office to see if he could hear the song. The Captain still wasn't pleased about his two finest detectives sharing an apartment, much less, a bed. Page sneered down at O'Malley in disapproval. Kate ignored the song until Carl reached the part about "than comes baby in the baby carriage." She froze for a second, catching a glimpse of Nick's face, which had become beet red. Nick took the song too personally, and wondered if everyone around the station could tell. When he went after the gnome, wheeling an office chair behind him, Kate looked away. It was better that way.

"Alright, people, debriefing. Now!" Page stiffly made his way down the stairs, determined to make his headquarters, which had turned into the LoveBoat because of Marnie and Jonathan, now O'Malley and Benson, a highly respected police station again. "I said now!" He bellered when bodies didn't start running at the sound of his booming voice. "Jonathan, begin."

Jonathan tore his eyes from the lab where his girlfriend had just entered. "Yes, Sir! Chicago has been under strain lately from a series of normal people who have lost something. Something so big, and so important in their day to day lives, that living without it is almost unbearable." Jonathan, proud of his opening statement, glanced over to the Captain, who didn't seem to share the same opinion. The young man rushed into an explanation. "Their memories!" He said, pointing to the air above him. 

"Their memories?" Kate repeated. "Why would a link want to steal someones memories?"

Jonathan looked around the room aimlessly. His words started off slow. "Because it's a link and it likes humans memories?"

"Was that a comment or an answer?" Nick asked as he strolled into the meeting, taking his side next to Kate.

Jonathan looked discouraged. "Actually, we don't know why."

"Do we know what kind of people it steals from? Who's at risk?" Kate shot at him.

"No."

"How much of a persons memories it takes?"

"No."

"Where the link is?"

"Or how to kill it?" Nick added before Jonathan could answer no to Kate's previous question.

This time, Jonathan looked proud of himself again. "No and no!" He pointed to each detective as he answered them. 

Nick looked at Kate. "It doesn't dawn on him that's not a victory." O'Malley shook his head in wonder at the young geek.

"Jonathan, do we know anything about this link?" Benson closed her notebook. No reason to take notes when there were none to write down.

"We know we know nothing. That nothing is all we know. So it's not nothing, since we know something." Jonathan crossed his arms, content in his riddle.

"What's the something?" Kate asked.

"The something is the nothing that we don't know."

The group of detectives stood for a moment, saying his words in their minds, becoming even more confused. Jonathan was doing the same, since he had long ago lost himself.

"I expect you, Carl, to help us find out whatever information you can dig up on this link so we can restore the citizens of Chicago to..." Page looked around the group of people. "Where is Carl?"

"Strapped upside down to a chair at the bottom of the stairs that I pushed him down." Nick said, grinning. He could see Kate's shoulders fall as she sighed. "A long flight of stairs."

A really long flight of stairs!" Echoed the gnomes voice from a far distant place. 

"Carl! You've heard every word I've said, now get yourself unstrapped, walk up the stairs, and get to work!" When he was done with his verbal attack, the Captain stalked back to his office. The rest of the people went about their normal duties, noone bothering to answer the occasional call for help from Carl. Nick pulled Kate aside.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Carl and I will do some hunting around on Mr. Memory Lane link. You don't need to be here. Besides, you look tired."

Kate smiled sweetly at Nick. "I'm fine. And I'm not tired." She walked away before he could object any further.

"Someone? Anyone? At least put the chair back on it's legs so I'm not on my head!" Carl struggled but O'Malley's knots were the work of a professional. With no locks to pick, Carl was at his mercy. 

"Where's my watch?" Nick asked an hour later as he leaned over the gnome, still confined to the chair. 

"What watch?" Carl asked innocently.

Nick smiled sarcastically down on him. "Ah, the watch you stole from me when Kate invited you for dinner the other night."

"I didn't steal your watch. Check your kitchen table. That's where some people toss theirs. Not that I would know." 

"Nick! Let him up, all the bloods rushing to his head." Kate scolded. "And I told you to check on the kitchen table!"

"It's not there! I wouldn't put it there." Nick took a knife out of his pocket and started cutting through the rope. "Only on her orders do I do this."

"Why don't you go ahead and I'll meet you there, ok?" Kate tried her best to look like she wasn't about to be sick, but her sitting on the edge of the bathtub looking down at the toilet was a little inconsistant with being fine. "Really, just go."

Nick teetered at the bathroom door for a minute, feeling really guilty she was going through this when he was just fine. After all, it was and had been a two person game. He finally figured leaving her alone for a little bit was what she needed. He bent down, kissed her goodbye, and made his way out to the car, feeling like a jerk. Back in the bathroom, Kate stood up and splashed cold water on her face, telling herself to keep it together for tonight. She reapplyed her make up, threw on the pair of earrings she took off when she thought she was going to throw up, grabbed her keys, and was on her way to the resturant where she would meet Nick's brother for the first time. She knew they didn't get along well, but family was family, and she didn't want to be sick for this. Besides, Nick only saw his brother every four years. He worked for some company out of the country, and only made it to the US every four years or so.

O'Malley mustered a smile when he approached his brother at the bar. He shook his hand and made the hug between them end as fast as he could. "Nick! Good to see ya! Let me buy you a drink, little brother. What'll it be?"

Nick set his wallet on top the bar and ordered a Scotch. "I'll get the first round." He took a twenty out of his open billfold and set it on the bar. The photo of Kate inside the wallet caught his brothers eye.

"Is this her?" He asked, picking up the wallet.

"Yeah. And her name is Kate, not "her." Nick corrected.

"Sorry. No disrespect, man." Nick held his hand out to reclaim the wallet, but his brother inspected the photo carefully before handing it back. "Man, she's really something. Hot! Is she going to be here tonight?"

Nick stuffed the photo and it's holder back in his pocket. "Yeah, she should be here in a few minutes." When he saw Kate walking towards them, he waved her over. "In fact, here she is."

Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he asked if she was ok.

"I'm great, much better." She gave him a peck on the cheek before turning towards the man standing next to them. "This must be Wayne. It's so nice to meet you, finally." She shook the mans hand and smiled. "I give you credit, growing up with Nick couldn't have been easy." She joked.

"Beating him up made things tolerable." Wayne wasn't joking and Kate could see the irritance in Nick as his face tightened. "Kate, what can I get you to drink?"

"I think I can buy my own fiancee a drink, thanks." Nick flagged down the bartender and ordered her a diet pepsi. 

Wayne laughed, getting in his dig. "Are you psycic or do you decide what she's drinking for her?"

"Thanks, honey." Kate accepted the glass from Nick, addressing the brother in a polite way that it was all she drank. An out and out lie, but a good way to smooth things over.

"So, Nick, going to walk the plank again, huh?" Kate could see Wayne and Nick shared almost the same smirk, but Nick's was far more flattering.

"Well when you have someone like my girl in your life, it's not a plank your walking."

"Whoa, don't get defensive, Nick, just using your words, remember?"

Kate wasn't sure which would be worse, a couple hours of this, or a couple hours of Nick and Carl going at it. 

By the end of the night, Kate was on pins and needles, being the one who held the peace best she could between the two men, mainly by changing the subject when topics became too hot. Her head was killing her, and by the looks of things, so was Nick's.

"Four years." Nick said under his breath when he got into the car. "I won't have to see him for another four years." Nick glanced at his wrist for the time, and grimaced when he realized there was no watch to check. "I still haven't gotten my watch back from Carl." O'Malley grumbled.

"Check the kitchen table." Kate said as she held her head, leaning up against the passenger window, too tired to look to her left.


	3. Chapter 3

"I found it!" Nick said, sliding his watch on his wrist. "Right where I said it would be, on the kitchen table."

Kate pointed her gun at Nick's turned back and lipped a silent "bang," with her mouth. She lowered her weapon just as he turned around to grab himself a donut and a cup of coffee before work.

"Want the last donut?" Nick asked.

Kate made another face at him, giving him his answer, than went off to finish getting dressed for the day ahead. A knock came at the door. 

"I'll get it." Nick yelled. The detective opened the door, looked down, and without saying anything, slammed the door without inviting any guest in.

"Who was it?" Kate asked, walking back in the kitchen.

"A roach." Nick said casually.

Kate rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"Morning!" Carl said, holding his hand up in a wave to Kate. "Just figured I'd stop in, grab a ride to work..." The gnome stopped three feet inside the door, looking glum all of a sudden. "No eggs cooking? No bacon? No buttery toast? What's wrong with you people?"

"Hi, Carl." Kate poured him a cup of coffee.

"That'll be three bucks." Nick said, not looking up from the papers he was reading in front of him. Carl spotted the donut. His fingers combed his beard in thought and careful planning. 

"Hey, O'Malley," The gnome walked over to Nick, resting his elbows on the table. 

"What." 

"Nothing. I was just wondering what happend to your car."

Nick looked up, "What do you mean, nothing happend to my car." His voice elevated with concern.

Carl smirked. "That's what you think." 

Nick jumped from his chair and trotted over to the window, pulling back the curtains. Not seeing any damage to his car, he turned back to question Carl, who, by this time, had half of Nick's donut devoured.

"Carl!" O'Malley charged the gnome, chasing him around the table.

"Enough! Both of you!" Kate hollared, pouring a glass of orange juice. Nick caught up with Carl, tripping him. The short "man" fell flat on his face in front of Kate, who, carrying her juice to the table, tripped over him, spilling her juice. "Oh, that's great! That's just great! Nick, Carl, grow up!"

"Gotcha!" Nick said, yanking the gnome up to his feet.

Nick smiled in satisfaction the entire way to work. Kate, who sat in the passenger seat, frowned disapprovingly next to him. 

"Aren't you going to bring him in?" Kate said, shutting her door.

Nick stolled around to her side, grabbing her hand, walking into the drycleaners with her. "Nope."

They didn't make it to their desks before they heard it, "Benson, O'Malley, Carl, in my office now!"

They exchanged a knowing look and both bee-lined it for the bosses office. Not looking suprised, the Captain asked Carl's whereabouts.

"Oh, he's hanging around somewhere, Sir." Kate answered, glancing at an ever smirking Nick.

"He's stuck on something at the moment, but I know where to find him when we really need him." Nick added.

"Stuck was right," Carl chimed from behind them as he picked the remaining superglue from the palms of his hands. He seemed to be having a difficult time picking his feet up after each step. "O'Malley stuck me to his rear side window, with these!" Carl threw two suction cups on the Captain's desk, lifting one of his feet to show the third. And there's one more on the bottom of the other shoe, but I can't seem to..." Carl struggled to lift up his other foot. 

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I was reading the comics today in the paper, Garfield came to mind..." Nick smiled at the Captain, than at the gnome, "What can I say? I was inspired."

Page ignored O'Malley's comment and turned his frustration and irritance to the gnome. "Carl!" He said through gritting teeth.

"Yes, Captain?" 

Page positioned his fake hand into pointing at the suction cups. "Remove these items off my desk or your going to spend the next 700 years of your life suctioned to the walls of your cell in the hole!"

To make it hard on Carl, Nick took a step closer to his superiors desk, pushing the cup down hard on the desk, squeezing out any air. It would take the gnome at least five minutes, all the while being yelled at, to get it off. "When your done, meet us in the car." Nick smiled.

Five minutes later, Carl hopped in the backseat of the car and Nick hit the gas pedal before the back door was completley shut. Only Kate glanced back to make sure Carl handn't fallen out.

"Ok, Carl, time to point us in the direction of the link's last known location. Where to?" Nick asked, glancing at Carl in the rearview mirror.

"At the lights, hang a right. Than take a left on Jackson. Pull into the McDonalds parking lot, east corner."

When the car came to a stop in the lot, Carl jumped out, making his way into the resturant while pulling a hat over his head to cover his ears. A few minutes later, he got back in the car holding a bag and a to go cup. Nick looked at him expectantly from the front seat. "Yeah?"

"What?"

"What did your connection tell you?"

Carl shoved a french fry in his mouth. "Oh. This is McDonalds."

Nick looked at Kate than back to the gnome. "Yeah? And your point is?"

Carl laughed. "My connection isn't here. I was just hungry." Carl unwrapped his Big Mac. "Which reminds me, thanks for lunch, O'Malley." Carl leaned forward and tossed Nick's wallet, which Carl had stolen minutes before, into his lap. Kate closed her eyes, bracing herself for the coming battle of fists between man and gnome, which came exactly one second later. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Carl's connection seemed to think the link we're looking for might be hanging his hat in the old sanatarium. No, Sir, we aren't in any danger from it. Jerry told us the link can only attack at night. Jerry is Carl's connection, Sir." Nick checked his watch. "And that gives us well over five hours to find it and kill it. Kate and I are on our way their now to check it out. We're about ten minutes away. I'll let you know when and if we spot it, Captain." Nick flipped his cell phone shut and headed out of town. Nick glared at Carl from the front seat. "Your friend better not be sending us on a wild link chase. I'm missing the game over this."

Carl leaned forward in his seat. "Braidenstorphs are very reliable sources. How do you think I knew the security code on the big white house on Center Street?" 

"Oh yeah? Than why couldn't your reliable source look me in the eyes?"

"They don't have eyes!" Carl sat back. "Hey, O'Malley, dinner was great, but could we stop for an ice cream? I'm still hungry. I left you a couple of bucks in your wallet from dinner."

"That's it." The tires of Nick's car squealed to a hault, sending Kate flying forward. Nick was too busy dragging Carl out of the car to apologize. 

The gnomes luck did not seem to be in his favor, until he heard some voices coming from the driveway next to him. He ducked in a tree and listened.

"I forgot to lock the door." A womans voice said.

"I wouldn't worry about it, darling, we will only be gone a few minutes. Come on, let's go." A man's voice answered. 

A devilish grin formed on Carl's face as he waited for the luxery car to drive away. He rubbed his hands together and spoke to himself as he made his way on and into the couple's home. "A few minutes is all I need. Thanks, O'Malley."

Kate and Nick walked carefully through the empty grey halls of the long vacated mental institute. Both had weapons drawn and checked each room with care. "What's this thing supposed to look like, anyhow?" Kate asked.

"Got me." Nick pointed Kate to a closet within a room they almost missed. Kate shown the flashlight in the darkened room. 

"Watch it! there's a hole." She put her arm across Nick's chest so he wouldn't fall in. "Nice place for a hole, right in the floor in a closet. What were the patients trying to dig their way out? I don't see anything down there." Clicking off her flashlight, she sighed and walked out of the room. Just as Nick turned to follow her, he felt something snake around his ankle, pulling him down deep. Than he hit the water.

"Nick!" Kate ran back to the closet, falling to her knees, shining the light down the hole, looking for any sign of him. "Oh my God, Nick?! Nick, answer me!"

When he broke through the water, although he could hear Kate, he couldn't see a thing, not even her light at the top. "I'm ok, cold and wet, but ok."

Benson breathed a sigh of relief hearing his voice. She got on the radio and requested back up. "Nick, what can I do?"

Nick was about to answer her but a noise and a bad feeling in his gut stopped him. He moved to the right, than the left, seeing nothing. "Kate, toss your light down here." After a few seconds, Nick saw the beam of light falling towards him. When it hit the water, he followed it down. The water was dark and murky, but he managed to find the light and grab hold of it. When he did so, something grabbed his hand as well. 


	5. Chapter 5

Above, Kate listened for any thing from Nick. Seconds seemed like hours. She almost grew angry at him for not answering her. "Nick!" She waited again. No response. 

Recoiling from the thing, Nick tried to tear his hand free from it's grasp, but it held on with a death grip, digging her fingernails into his arm. Blood mixed with the dirty water, rising above them in a crimson cloud. Nick felt repulsed as he took in it's sight. It's thin long skeletal arms were just barely covered by an even thinner layer of rotting flesh. Nick could see peices of it's skin floating to the surface as they struggled, some getting tangled in it's long white hair. It's eyes were bulging and blueish white, yet dispite it's look, it sneered at him. O'Malley tried punching the link, and even though his hand was slowed down by the water, when he struck the things face, half of it crumpled around his fist. Nick was conciousness fast as his lungs screamed for air. He tried kicking his way to the surface, but the creature held him down like it took no strength at all.

Kate could hear the water thrashing and thought the worst. She was mortified when she saw her partners weapon laying to her right. He must have dropped it just before he fell in. Without thinking, Kate grabbed both weapons and dove in the hole after him. It was only than that the link let go of her grasp on Nick. Just as it did, Nick saw black, his entire body giving in to unconciousness. He began to drift towards the surface when Kate's arms pulled him up fast. She held his head above water for over two hours, the time it took for her backup unit to locate them. 

"Ah, Shawn?" Jonathan gripped the phone, his hand growing sweaty from nerves. "You don't know me, but I'm the new...oh, you do? That's great. Ah, listen, we have a um, situation here and um, we could really use some help." Jonathan stuck his pencil behind his ear and flipped through some pages of his research book. "We originally thought it was a witch, but this isn't like anything I've ever seen before. I was going over some of your notes on the um water link, but there wasn't much there so I was thinking if you could...yeah well Nick thinks he ran into her today but he's not real sure...so I was thinking if you could..." Jonathan sat up in his seat. "You could? That's great. So do you like know when or...yeah, yeah, yeah...that's great. Ok, so we will see you than." Jonathan was about to hang up the phone when Shawn's voice stopped him. "um, yeah? What's that? Oh, yeah, she's still with us. Her and Nick are um, kinda, well, an item." The geek was happy he for once got to be the first to tell someone the news. "Hello?" Silence came from the other side. "Um, hello?" He placed the reciever on the phone and trotted off to the medical lab.

"Aside from being cold, and in need of a dry set of clothes, O'Malley seems to be doing fine. The med people say he most likely took a hard hit to his head on his way down, which is probley the reason you couldn't wake him, but nothing that won't heal in time. Take him home, get him a good night's sleep, detective." Page turned to Kate, looking her up and down. "Get yourself some dry clothes too, Benson. It's not that warm out. And stop dripping on my floor." 

"Yes, Sir." Kate wrung her shirt out best she could without taking it off and tried to look professional in front of her boss. Well, as professional as anyone could look resembling a drownd rat. 

"And Benson!" The Captain turned around to face her before he left. 

"Yes, Sir?" She looked up from squeezing out her shirt.

"That hole was a long ways down. You and O'Malley both are lucky your not dead." He brought his voice down to a tone that showed empathy and compassion, at least for him, and added, "This department is lucky. Now take your boyfriend home and be back here at 8am sharp tomorrow." 

"Yes, Sir, and thank you, Sir." Kate couldn't help but smile. The Captain was cute when he tried to be, even though it probley came close to killing him.

"Kate!" Jonathan danced his way goofily over to her. "This is so cool, your not going to believe this. I mean, this is like so entirely cool, it's not even like in the same catagory as cool. It's the coolness of cool. You know like when you were a kid, and the..."

"Jonathan, look at me, I'm soaked. Nick is soaked in there." She pointed to the doors she was just about to walk through before being delayed by him. "We really are dying to get home and take a shower."

"Together?" Carl roamed in the room, apparently pleased with his latest crime of home invasion and burglery.

Kate grimaced at him. "Carl, shut up. Now tell me, Jonathan, what is so "cool?" She did her best to look interested, although she really wasn't.

"Shawn Radman." Jonathan smiled ear to ear, putting his hands on his hips, waiting for to share his enthusiasm.

"Shawn? What about Shawn?" Kate put one hand on the door handle, her silent way of telling him to spit it out, whatever it was.

"Huh? Oh! He's taking a flight tonight. Here. Yeah, he's going to assist us on the link that..."

"Kicked O'Malley's butt tonight!" Carl strained his voice so even Nick could hear him on the other side of the door. Kate frowned down at him.

"Well, not to side with Carl, but yeah, that's what he's doing." Jonathan's smile faded for a second. "Not like I don't know what I'm doing or anything, but ya know, it's always nice to have a new set of ideas on investigative work." Jonathan extended his hands to crack his knuckles, trying to look suave, but failed when no sound came. 

"That's great, Jonathan. I'm taking Nick home, but we can catch up with Shawn tomorrow morning, ok?"

Kate flipped on the light and started a pot of coffee for Nick, who was still shaking from the water. Kate had recovered fast from the freezing water, but he still seemed to be struggling at getting his body temperature up to a normal level. "Go hop in the shower and the coffee should be done by the time you get out." Nick nodded and headed off for the bathroom. Kate was worried about him, but she didn't lead on to it. They stayed up for another hour, before Nick said he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. Kate wrapped her arms around him and did the best she could to keep him warm. 

"Kate, something was down in that water with me before you jumped in. I saw it. It wasn't the water temperature messing with my head, something was there."

Kate held him tighter. "Maybe so, Nick, but don't worry about that now, ok. Just concentrate on getting warmed up. Your still shaking."

At four am, their phone rang. Kate leaned over Nick, who didn't seem to hear it ring, to answer it.

"Benson."

"Kate?"

She recognized the voice of Shawn's. "Shawn, hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Listen, you need to get Nick back to headquarters right away, as soon as possible. I'm sorry, Kate, I hope I'm wrong here, but I found out some information, and it's not looking good."

Kate dragged a reluctant Nick out of bed and drove him back to the station. She had no idea what to expect when she got their, she just knew she wasn't going to like it. Trying to keep Nick awake the fifteen minute drive was proving impossible as he continued to doze off. When they arrived, Shawn and Jonathan were outside waiting for them with a team to help them get O'Malley inside.

"It's just as I thought, he can't stay awake." Shawn said as he took a seat, his old seat which was now Jonathan's. "And he won't be able to for the next 48 hours. His body is shutting down from the links poison. Once it fully works through, and his system starts to break down from it, he will be more awake, back to his old self. But even that won't stay true for long."

Kate covered her face with her hand, taking it all in. She didn't notice how her hands were shaking.

"Are you saying, Shawn, that O'Malley will loose his memory shortly?" Page asked, walking around Jonathan to better confront Radman."

"I'm saying Nick will loose partial memory, whatever the link decided to take from him. And we won't know what part until he starts to forget. It's a big waiting game at this point." Shawn could barely look at Kate. He always had a crush on her, and looking at her wasn't a task he found hard to do, but seeing her like this was a bit more than he could take. He avoided her eyes like the plague. 

Kate took her hand from her face and did her best to compose herself and think. She was no good to Nick if she didn't try to stay on the right path. "Is there any good news, Shawn? Do we know how to reverse it?"

"We know how to stahl for time." Shawn said with a sigh. "I wish there was more I could tell you, but unless we have the link here, to examine, there's not much we can do."

"Shawn. Is Nick going to die?" 

"No. The poison isn't lethal. And it doesn't progress after time. The amount of memory the link took is all she can take, unless of course she attacked him again. "The markings or scratches on his arm where she grabbed him don't give us much help. It could be a little or a lot. But no, he won't die from it, Kate."

Kate walked away. If she didn't, she would have broken down in front of everyone.

"Shawn, did you bring Benson up to date on the information you've gathered?" Page reentered the group. 

"I did. I don't know how she took it, though."

The Captain nodded in understanding. "Benson is strong, and she has Nick to keep her mind in check, she will do well. Right now we need to get a team in check and bring this foul beast into our custody. Any ideas on where to find this thing now or how to catch it when we do find it?" 

"Yes, I do know." Shawn flipped through his notes and handed Page an illustration. "It's my design, it's similar to what fishermen use, the nets, only much much stronger. The link, or Helena, as I like to call her..."

"Helena?" The Captain questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, some people name comets, some name hurricanes, I name links. Helena seemed fitting." Shawn almost seemed insulted by the look he was recieving by his old superior. "Helena, as I was saying, will basically not move from her dwelling, because she see's it as a fit and successful hiding spot. I mean, why move when you just nailed another victim, right? If we can get a team around this water filled shaft, lower it down somehow, and surround her, she's as good as ours." Radman smoothly shut his notebook with one hand and picked up a rubber band to play with. "So who's doing the research on her?"

Jonathan, who was listening intently to this discussion, suddenly sat straight up, hoping to get noticed by the Captain. He raised his eyebrows in hopes of hearing his name called. The Captain glanced around at all the faces. When his eyes rested on Jonathan's, he frowned. "Something bothering you, Jonathan?"

"Huh? Uh, no Sir. I was just thinking that I could do the ah...the um...research on it."

"Helena." Radman corrected.

Jonathan pointed his finger at Shawn. "Right, gotcha, Helena. Um, so what do you say, Sir? Could I ah...do it?"

Page looked unimpressed by the young mans eagerness. He gave a look of offering to Radman, who refused the offer by holding up his hands, as if warding off some invisible assault. "I guess it's yours, Jonathan. Work with the medical staff, and remember, this thing has infected one of our own. You will not screw this up! Is that understood?" 

"Yes, Sir, Captain!" Jonathan saluted the man and smiled like a dork at Shawn. 

"Say, when you took over my desk here, did you happen to find a Luke SkyWalker action figure?"

Jonathan looked glum. "Um, why, was that yours or something?" He put his hands on his hips, trying too look tough and defensive. Shawn looked annoyed.

"Yeah."

"Oh..." Now Jonathan just looked pathetic and crushed at the fact he would have to return the figure. "Yeah, I did find it. I suppose you want it back or something?" 


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright people, listen up." Page gripped the filter of his cigarette like it was his lifeline. "We have, thanks to Jonathan and Shawn for their hard work designing and bringing this contraption into reality...a net..."

"The Appollo." Jonathan corrected under his breath. He looked at Kate. "Why doesn't anyone call things by thier name when I name them?"

"...Shawn will demonstrate how to use it, and than your off. Benson will head up the task force. Must I remind you all that one of our own detective's lives hangs in the balance here. You will all do what you can do detain and bring back this offender without getting yourselves hurt in the process. That's all, dismissed."

Kate brushed past the doors of the SU2 medical lab where Nick was, before everyone assembled outside. She leaned over and gave Nick a kiss before leaving him. "I'm coming back, and I'm bringing her back with me. You'll be just fine. Sleep now." He didn't wake up to hear her, but somewhere Kate knew he heard her. "I love you, Nick."

Four hours later Kate hit the Captain's speed dial on her cell. "We've got her, we're on our way back."

"Good work, detective. The lab will be ready for her when you deliver her."

A day and a half later, Kate sat with Carl, Shawn, and Jonathan in Page's office. "So we think within a few days we should have some kind of anidote for Nick and the others, to reverse the memory loss." Shawn said, looking around the room. "We feel pretty confident that we can create something with no lasting side effects. Jonathan here has been putting most of it together, coupled with my research and notes, I think it will be a pretty good outcome."

"What will be a pretty good outcome?" The room turned around to see O'Malley standing in the doorway. 

"Nick, your awake." Kate flew from her chair into his arms. Page looked uncomfortable with it all, but under the circumstances, he said nothing. 

"O'Malley, take a seat. Tell us what you remember."

"Yeah, do you remember getting your ass beat by a female link?" Carl laughed. "Again?"

"Carl." Kate and Page warned.

"I heard she held you underwater with just one hand." Carl said matter of factly, but it was an insult. 

"Carl!" Page and Kate glared at him.  
"Word is with my peeps, she was barely hanging on to you and still managed to keep a hold on you."

Page stood up, towering over the gnome. Carl moved only his eyes upward to look at him, knowing he pushed it too far.

"Your going to be quiet, or I'm going to let the lab test their theory that this particular link will also attack other links. And you'll be the lab rat. Is that clear, Carl?" 

"Crystal." Carl mumbled.

"How do you feel?" Kate asked, helping Nick to a chair.

"Like I'm still asleep." He rubbed his eyes and tried focusing them on her.

"Uh, that should last only another couple of hours, Nick. Within two hours, tops, you'll feel like you haven't in years...which is the good news..." Jonathan's words trailed off. "...the bad news is you'll start to exhibit signs about that time too."

"Exhibit signs of what?" Nick asked.

"Jonathan, Shawn, and..." The Captain paused as he was addressing the gnome, adding a sneer to his voice and face. "Carl, if you would excuse us. I'd like to talk to the detectives alone." The three hustled out of the office. "Nick," O'Malley looked up in suprise, his boss using his first name. "What do you remember about the last assignment you were on with Detective Benson?" Nick glanced at Kate while trying to recollect his memory. 

"Not much, Sir."

Kate laid her hand on Nick's arm for support. 

"You were attacked, by a witch like link, who..."

"Steals memories." Nick finished his sentence with a flat tone. "I remember now." Nick smiled in anticipation of his next wise crack. "Which I guess is a good sign, hey?" 

"Over the course of the next few days, our medical lab will be trying to formulate a medicine that will reverse the affects, thanks to your..." Page struggled over what to call Kate, in light of their new found relationship. He finally settled on a word less difficult for him. "...partner, who managed to capture the link and bring her in here. During that time, you will start to loose aspects of your memory, things that were once as engranined in your mind as anything, will eventually become foreign to you. This unit will stand behind you as much as we can, help you through it, but it will be a difficult road for us all to bear. Benson, you will be in charge of watching over him, any other duties are postponed until this mess is over with..."

"Yes, Sir."

"And O'Malley, your job is to just rest, take it easy, and put your trust in this units lab department. Everything that can be done will be done." Page lit another cigarette and waved the couple away. "Now take him home, and get some rest, both of you."

"Hey, can I come?" Carl said when the Captain's door was opened.

"No!" Kate said as she watched Nick like a hawk. 

Nick was too tired to trade words with him. He settled for shoving the gnome backwards by the forehead.

Nick slept through most of the night soundly. Kate slept on and off, mostly watching over him as he slept. She held onto the hope and belief that the lab would come through for him and none of her worries and fears would come true. Mostly, she held on to him in his sleep, holding him close to her.

The next morning, Nick was up by six am. Kate woke up, squinting as the sun seemed to burn her eyes from their sockets. She could smell coffee being made, as well as Nick's cooking, which mainly consisted of burning anything he attempted to cook. She threw on her robe, brushed her teeth, and joined him in the kitchen. "Morning." 

Nick looked up from his blackend bacon and eggs, which were smoldering in the pan over the highest heat. "Oh, hey, good morning, beautiful!" He went to kiss her, but was stopped by a tapping noise on the door. Nick shook his head, raising his finger to his lips. "Shh, don't answer that. It's HIM." 

Kate smiled and finished the kiss Nick had started. 

"Hey, I know you two are in there, open the door, I'm starving out here. And I can smell breakfast being made." (tap tap tap) 

(silence)  
"Come on, I'm practically like family! Open the door! I brought the O.J."

(silence)

(bang, bang, bang!)

Kate and Nick watched the door as the knob moved. It stopped when the hand that tried it realized it was locked. 

"Carl, go away!" Nick yelled through the door.

"I have my lock pins, ya know. Now let me in, I'm hungry!"

Kate rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Carl, don't you have a home?"

Carl strolled in, stopping to answer her question. "Yes, I do. Here." He motioned around her kitchen.

"Where's the orange juice?" Nick demanded.

"What?" Carl looked at Nick like he had an antelope sitting on top his head.

"The orange juice, where is it? You said you had some."

"Is something wrong with your memory, O'Malley? I never said that. Your loosing it." Carl took a seat closest to Kate and smiled at her. "You know, when he finally goes off the deep end, I'll be here, and I'm single." He flirted.

"I'll still remember how to cause you pain, don't worry." Nick picked Carl up by the back of his shirt, dropping him in a chair farther away from Kate, sitting down himself. Kate stood up as soon as he did, tending to the ever blackening food. She made a face when she saw the chared eggs and tossed them out, just as she did most mornings, and restarted breakfast. 

"Carl, how many eggs do you want?"

"He wants none." Nick answered, yanking the empty plate away from Carl.

"Two, please." Carl hit Nick over the head with it.

"It's too early!" Kate scolded. "Nick, how about you?"

He set his coffee cup down after taking a drink. "The same."

Kate cracked four eggs in the pan and handed Carl a cup of coffee. 

As usual, Carl was the first one done and up washing the dishes spotless. 

The next day Nick was already showing small signs of the links poison. He aimlessly paced the house, forgetting what he was just about to do. Kate did her best to comfort him, but he was growing incredibly aggitated in his frustration. By eight pm, while Kate was making dinner for the two of them, she was startled to hear him screaming her name from the bedroom. When she found him, he was sitting in the corner of the room, reaching out to her, pulling her into him. 

"I couldn't remember your face." His hands held her face as she got on the floor with him, holding him. "I'm scared, Kate. I'm so scared." 


	7. Chapter 7

Nick's spirits were better by the next morning. They decided to spend the day together, just the two of them, talking and just being close to eachother. Nick had prepared for any "visitors," they might expect, by taping a huge bright orange sign to the outside of the front door, which read: GNOMES SHOT ON SIGHT! DEAD!" When Carl saw this, he bee-lined it for other places. After all, so much crime, so little time. Within twenty minutes, his plans had changed from annoying Nick, to holding up the convinent store down on 7th.

Kate wrapped the blanket around both of them as she leaned back into Nick's arms on the couch. She closed her eyes, feeling every breath he took. Nick held her tighter than he ever had before. "We're going to get past this, Kate. We are." 

Kate took in a long breath, and without opening her eyes, grabbed his hands in hers. "I know we are."

"Hey, O'Malley, where's that fifty bucks you owe me?" Carl said with an outstretched hand.

"What fifty?" Nick rolled up his newspaper and eyed Carl like he was a fly needing to be swatted. 

"The fifty you borrowed from me yesterday!" Carl's no-nonsense tone made Nick stop and seriously think about this. Nick, never being the type to owe anyone anything, began to dish out cash. 

"I've only got fourty two on me, I'll catch up with you later."

"No worries." Carl was just about to grab the money when Kate's hand swooped down from nowhere and returned the money back to Nick. 

"He's messing with you. Carl, cut it out!" 

Nick's eyes landed square on the gnome, who tried covering up his skeem by laughing it off. When Nick stood up, Carl ran as if his very skin and bones depended on it. In all reality, they probley did. Nick gave up when he couldn't remember who or why he was giving chase to, or where he was chasing this person to. Confused, he shook his head, accepted the coffee Kate handed him, and settled for reclining back in his chair again. Carl's eyebrows lifted in good thoughts when he saw Kate walk from the room. "Hmm." He said to himself, and wandered back to Nick. "Gonna give me my watch back sometime, or do you plan on borrowing it forever? Which is really rude, if you stop to think about it."

O'Malley glanced at the watch on his wrist. "This is yours?"

Carl rolled his eyes. "It was, until you borrowed it like weeks ago." He could almost feel his own nose grow as he lied. Nick began taking off his watch, ready to fork it over to the gnome. 

"Damn it!" Kate ripped the watch from Carl's hand. "Nick!" Kate pulled herself together when she saw the look on his face. "This is your watch, not his, now put it back on and don't give it to him again. Carl, one more episode like this and I'll shoot you myself." Ten minutes after Kate left the room to switch the laundry around, Carl slipped the watch he convinced Nick, for the second time, was his, into his pocket, along with the fourty two dollars. Every so often, Nick would return to himself and the two would sit and bicker back and fourth while watching the Cubs play. But every so often, Nick would look around the room as if he was just dropped there, having no idea why he was there, who was with him, or where he was. Carl saw it all, and as it dawned on him he was loosing his friend, Carl lost his sence of humor about it all. 

"See ya, Kate. Tell O'Malley I'll drop by to see him tomorrow." Carl waved a goodbye.

"Goodnight, Carl, I will." 

Before leaving, Carl returned the watch and the money, laying it on the living room coffee table. He was a thief, but he was a friend, Nick's friend, before he was anything else.

Nick woke up that night, sitting straight up in bed, waking Kate. His eyes panned the room for a familiar sight, and when none came, he jumped up. Kate tried reaching from him, but he pulled his hand away from her. "Who the hell are you?" 

Kate, half expecting this at some point, walked slowly around the bed towards him. "Nick, relax, I'm Kate, remember? And your Nick..."

"I know my name, thank you very much, why the hell am I here?" He stared at her like he'd never seen her before. "Who the hell are you?"

Kate swallowed hard and fought back the tears in her eyes. "Nick, you live here. I'm Kate, we live here, us, together. Now just try to relax and think."

Nick grabbed a pair of pants that were tossed over the footboard of the bed and threw on a pair of shoes. "Look, lady, I don't know who you are, or where I am, but I'm going home." He started to leave the apartment when the woman grabbed his arm, pulling him back inside.

"You are home. This is where you live now."

"I live in the apartments on...wait a minute, why am I telling you this? How did I get here?"

Kate shook her head, "You don't live there anymore. You broke your lease so you could move in here, with me. Nick, don't you remember me? I'm Kate, we work together."

"Listen, thanks for the good time, but you need to get your head checked, lady. Now goodbye." Nick tapped his head, leaving their apartment, walking right past his own car. He didn't recognize it as his. He walked fast, leaving Kate rushing to keep up with him. He sighed as he glanced behind him, seeing her running after him. "Hot, but a few ants shy of a picinic." He said under his breath as he quickend his pace.

Kate was at a loss. The lab people said it would be an uphill climb, with alot of heartache, but they never really prepared her on how to keep a man safe in his own house with her when he didn't remember living there. She tugged at his shirt, shoving a photo of them in his face. He stopped walking and took the picture of them together, studying it. Kate spoke before he could ask any questions or walk away again. "Hot dogs, you love them, it's all you eat practically." Her mind raced under the pressure of trying to recall things to jar his memory back into place. 

Nick chuckled. "Lady..."

Kate, my name is Kate."

"Kate," Nick stressed, "Any girl will know that, I'm a very cheap date." He smiled at his own crack and continued to walk. "Nice picture, where did you get the prop?"

"Jesus!" Kate could have been struck by the link herself the way her memory was failing her. 

"No, but your close. Later." Nick didn't bother to turn around but held up his hand in a poor attempt at a wave goodbye. He only got a quarter of the way down the block when Kate decided desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Do you remember this?" Kate grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, which he didn't fight much. Well, ok, not at all. 

"I think so." Nick said slowly and just as quietly. "Kate?"

Relieved and exhausted Kate flounced down on a nearby curb, burying her face in her hands. Nick made his way over to her and took a seat next to her. "What else do you remember?"

Nick shook his head and stared straight ahead. "Nothing else, just you." He turned to look at her, this time not so seriously, he smiled. "Just you and that kiss."

They went for a long walk before going back home. Just as the sun was coming up, Kate pulled Nick back to her in an embrace. "Just promise me something, don't forget my heart, ok, Nicholas O'Malley?"

"I promise you that, Kate...Kate...um...Kate O'Malley?" Nick looked at her for help as he stumbled.

Kate closed her eyes. "Benson. We haven't gotten that far, yet, Nick."

Nick continued to hold her on the corner of the street. "Well I'll make you another promise, Ms. Benson. When we make it through this, and we will, we will work on getting your last name changed to something else, something easier for me to remember, how about that?" He gave her a wink and smiled.

"Was that a proposal?"

"I'd like to think I'm more romantic than that, so consider it a promise for a proposal. Next time I do it, I'll be on my knees with a ring."

"It's awful. I can't leave him alone for a second. He forgets everything. Last night he forgot to turn the microwave off after he made popcorn. By the time I got to it, it was burned and close to setting on fire." Benson threw herself back in her chair and waited for her Captain's response.

"Who's with him now?"

"Carl. He's forgetting how to fight with Carl." Kate heard her own voice break and knew if she didn't stop talking at that second, she would start crying and probley never stop.

"Kate, I think I have some good news." Shawn poked his head in the Captain's office. "The med team thinks they can have something by tomorrow. Of course, it'll have to be tested first, but at least it's a start."

"We will take what we can get for now. Thank you, Shawn." 

"Yeah, thanks, Shawn." Kate chewed on her lower lip for a minute. "I have to get going. I just wanted to keep you up to parr on what the progress is. With any luck, they are back home killing eachother." Kate joked, but she wasn't laughing. 

"Continue to keep me posted, Detective."

The four person team of Shawn, Jonathan, Page, and Kate assembled once again in the Captain's office to debate over the next move in helping O'Malley. 

"The problem and really only obstacle we have now is getting to her. We need a sample of her fingernails to properly get anywhere with an andidote for Nick." Shawn didn't look optimistic. "But none of us can get anywhere near her in the tank she's in."

Captain Page took a deep sigh in. "Why don't you just go in there and knock her block off?"

"Unfortunatly, she would decay within seconds, including her nails, leaving us with no link to analize."

"Benson, what do you..." Page looked around with the others in the absense of Kate."

Detective Kate Alice Benson stormed down the hallway of headquarters on a mission. Without stopping or missing a step, she grabbed hold of the machete that was hung on the wall, making her way to the tank that held the hidious witch.

Kicking open the doors, Kate had only one thing to say. "It's time for a manicure, Bitch!"

Soaking wet, Kate threw four severed fingers from the links hand onto Shawn's desk. The rolled towards him as Jonathan backed up in shock and excitement. "You got..." Jonathan was momentarily distracted by Shawn's body falling as he fainted, hitting the floor with a thump. "...the fingers. WOW! The med team can do their...thing now...but wow, how did you like um, get them?"

"By turning into Nick." Kate accepted the towel Captain Page handed her as she helped Shawn back to his feet. "And one more thing," Kate said, "When it's time to kill this thing, give me the pleasure!"

The three men, even Shawn in his weakend state, recoiled at her sudden aggression. Only Jonathan said anything. "Wow!"

When Kate got home, after telling Carl the good news, Kate slipped out of her wet clothes and into one of Nick's old shirts. She could smell him on the shirt and she knew the only place to be was in his arms, even if he didn't know who she was or why she was cuddling up next to him in bed. She had to believe that somewhere inside him, he knew. Before falling asleep herself, she whispered to him, "Your almost back, Nick. You'll be back soon."

On the surface Nick didn't know who she was. But something inside of him told him not to push her away. He held on tight to her, but he didn't know why. 


	8. Chapter 8

...And finally, the conclusion! It's short, but sweet.

Nick ran around to the passenger side of his car, which he fully remembered, and opened the door, guiding a blindfolded Kate out of her seat and down a stoney path. "Just hang on to me, that's it, watch your step."

Kate fussed, "How am I supposed to watch my step when I can't see anything?!"

Nick laughed. "Stop complaining and trust me. There." He pulled his tie off her face, which he used to keep her from seeing anything, and watched every expression dance across her face. "Know where we are?"

Kate looked around for a minute, confused. "This is the lake. We're at the lake." She said, bewildered.

"Yep, and this is also where we first met." Nick beamed.

Kate lost her smile and looked at him sadly. "Nick, we didn't meet here." Her heart fell as she realized there were parts of his memory gone, parts that he misunderstood. "We met in that old abandoned building with the little girl..."

Nick continued to smile and took her hand, pointing across the lake. "I was right there, Kate. You stood right here, taking pictures of the link in the lake. But I was right over there, and I definatly saw and noticed you. It was the first time I had ever laid my eyes on you. And I knew you were someone special even than."

Kate's mouth fell open as Nick took a knee in front of her, pulling out a small box from his pocket. "I have to ask you something, Kate. I told you, when it was all over, we were going to work on changing that name of yours. Well, that time is here."

THE END

Now don't quibble, you know what he's going to ask her and what her answer will be. And you know Carl will be at the wedding, as probley best man, trying his best to reach into the box where people put the evelopes of cash in for the bride and groom. And we know Nick will catch him, beat his ass right in front of everyone, and there will be Kate, rolling her eyes at them. After all, boys will be boys. 


End file.
